genderaffirming.ai 

Reddit user /u/Yraeve's Detransition Story

Transitioned: 18 -> Detransitioned: 23
female
low self-esteem
hated breasts
regrets transitioning
escapism
trauma
depression
influenced online
body dysmorphia
retransition
puberty discomfort
started as non-binary
anxiety
benefited from non-affirming therapy
This story is from the comments listed below, summarised by AI.
On Reddit, people often share their experiences across multiple comments or posts. To make this information more accessible, our AI gathers all of those scattered pieces into a single, easy-to-read summary and timeline. All system prompts are noted on the prompts page.

Sometimes AI can hallucinate or state things that are not true. But generally, the summarised stories are accurate reflections of the original comments by users.
Authenticity Assessment: Not Suspicious

Based on the provided comments, the account appears authentic. There are no serious red flags suggesting it is a bot or a bad-faith actor.

The user's comments are highly detailed, emotionally nuanced, and contain specific, personal anecdotes (e.g., experiences with a therapist, a manager's perspective, personal health issues, and family members). The advice is practical and multi-faceted, covering emotional support, medical caution, and everyday life tips, which is consistent with a genuine, passionate individual sharing their lived experience as a desister/detransitioner. The political shift described also aligns with a known perspective within the community.

About me

I'm a woman who, from a very young age, felt like an outcast and believed my discomfort with femininity meant I wasn't female. My desire to transition was a form of escapism from trauma, anxiety, and the difficulties I associated with being a woman. I came extremely close to surgery but started questioning the ideology and worked through my underlying issues in therapy. I now understand that not relating to gender roles doesn't change my sex, and my body dysphoria has lessened as a result. I am profoundly relieved I didn't transition and am now a comfortable, tomboyish woman with new life goals.

My detransition story

My journey with gender started when I was very young, around five years old. I felt uncomfortable with the idea of being a girl and woman. I didn't relate to other girls and had a lot of trouble fitting in with groups of women; I always felt like an outcast, like there was some social rulebook I couldn't read. I got along much better with men and preferred their company. For a long time, I thought this meant I wasn't really a woman.

I started to believe I was supposed to be a man. I hated my breasts and my curves and desperately wanted to get rid of them. I planned to get top surgery and even a hysterectomy. I was deeply uncomfortable with my body, especially when I started puberty. Getting my period was terrifying and painful, and it felt like a curse. I saw womanhood as something inherently difficult and painful, and I wanted no part of it.

A lot of my feelings were tied to other issues. I had a lot of anxiety and low self-esteem. I now realize I was deeply influenced by the women around me growing up; many were single mothers who seemed to hate their lives, and I was taught that being a woman meant you had to work harder to be taken seriously. I also experienced sexual trauma, which made me want to disconnect from my body entirely. I think a lot of my desire to transition was a form of escapism—a way to run away from the fears and discomforts that came with being female.

I never actually took hormones or had any surgeries. I came very, very close, but I always had doubts. I'm so grateful for those doubts now. I started to really examine why I felt the way I did. With a lot of introspection, I began to separate my discomfort with gender roles and the difficulties of being a woman from my actual sex. I realized that not relating to femininity didn't make me any less of a woman. I could be a woman who likes cars, video games, and wearing men's clothes.

A major turning point for me was seeing the extreme lengths some people went to with their transitions. Seeing someone I knew get bottom surgery to become something non-human really snapped me out of it. It made me question the entire ideology I had accepted. I started to move away from the far-left views I held and became much more moderate.

I also benefited from non-affirming therapy. Talking through my trauma, my fears of pregnancy and reproductive health issues, and my difficulties with socializing helped me immensely. I learned that my dysphoria was a symptom of other problems, not a cause. As I worked on those root issues, my discomfort with my body lessened. I became more comfortable with aspects of life that are unique to women.

I don't regret exploring my gender, but I am profoundly relieved that I did not medically transition. I now identify as a woman, a tomboyish woman who is comfortable with who she is. I have life goals now that I never thought I'd have, like wanting to have children one day. My views on gender have completely changed; I think the idea of "performing" a gender is flawed. I just am who I am. I wear what I want to wear—sometimes masculine clothes, sometimes not—and that doesn't change my sex.

My biggest takeaway is that if you don't have strong, constant gender dysphoria that makes your life unbearable, transitioning likely won't help you long-term. It's so important to ask the right questions and be sure, because you can't put back what is surgically removed, and hormones have permanent effects. It's okay to change your mind. It's better to wait and be sure than to rush into something permanent out of uncertainty.

Age Event
5 First started feeling discomfort with being a girl.
11 Started puberty; first period was a scary and painful experience.
18 Was actively planning medical transition (hysterectomy, top surgery).
23 Through introspection and therapy, began to understand the root causes of my dysphoria and abandoned plans to transition.
Present (23) Comfortably living as a woman, working on underlying trauma and health issues.

Top Comments by /u/Yraeve:

18 comments • Posting since June 28, 2023
Reddit user Yraeve (desisted female) comments on MTFTM detrans timeline, complimenting OP's "marble statue" and "classical, timeless" facial beauty.
47 pointsDec 29, 2023
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Your facial features scream marble statue to me, in all of the right ways. Not necessarily mainstream attractiveness, but classical and timeless. There is a beauty to your basic facial traits and bone structure, everything in your face works with everything in the pictures you've posted. I sincerely think your face is beautiful.

Reddit user Yraeve (desisted female) explains that women without breasts can still wear wedding dresses, citing her aunt's experience and the importance of alterations.
31 pointsJun 28, 2023
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while I can't remove your pain and I am sorry that you went through all of this, please know that you are not bared from wearing wedding dresses or even bridesmaid dresses for not having breasts anymore. There are many women who have no boobs at all, my uncle's wife being one of them (she is a classic rectangle shape, very little hips, barely any ass, no boobs at all, had a short haircut when meeting him 25 years ago and marrying him and had short hair until about 5 years ago), alterations exist for that reason and some come with the dress as a package deal. My aunt's dress fit her so well, it looked gorgeous on her and she looked gorgeous in it but it had to be altered to fit her. There is nothing wrong with getting a dress altered to fit you properly, it's almost impossible to get a dress like a wedding dress or a bridesmaid dress that fits like a glove or well enough that it doesn't need alterations.
You will get to wear your wedding dress, and I promise that there are people who won't have the negative views of you that you have of yourself.

Reddit user Yraeve (desisted female) comments on a post about gender identity, explaining how their former therapist, who had a similar background to the OP, also struggles to accept being a woman due to trauma and cultural misogyny.
23 pointsDec 22, 2023
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I had a therapist (which I no longer see for various reasons) who refused to accept she was a woman because of extremely similar circumstances to yours. She ended up rejecting most of her upbringing and now has a job helping women process through trauma, although she still can't bring herself to accept herself as a woman because of this. She got out of her home country and is in Canada. I think that what you're feeling is normal considering your circumstances. It's hard to be okay with being a woman when it automatically sets you as inferior and different in only bad ways. Best wishes to you

Reddit user Yraeve (desisted female) comments on the trend of lesbians using microdosing testosterone, suggesting it's a long-standing practice among butch lesbians to achieve a desired masculine look without gender dysphoria, similar to bodybuilders using steroids.
21 pointsJan 29, 2024
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I've heard it's kind of always been a thing with butch lesbians? Don't quote me on that though, I'm not into the lesbian/bi women spaces like that, nor the overall butch ones. However, considering the fact that body dysmorphia or even just liking a look leads to extensive surgeries that masculinize men and feminize women to the extremes, I wouldn't be surprised if that's what it is for them but opposites, without any hint of gender dysphoria. Women take steroids (which are androgens, basically testosterone) to grow muscles, so it's not far fetched to imagine it.

Reddit user Yraeve (desisted female) advises a young person to wait on transitioning, sharing how their own desire for children and life goals changed drastically between ages 18 and 23.
11 pointsJul 24, 2023
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So, to start with, you are very young. I'm 5 years older, and I can tell you, in the 5 years between me being 18 and 23, there's so much in my life that changed and in my life plans that have completely flipped on their axis. I used to want to get a hysterectomy as soon as possible, get rid of my breasts. I still want my uterus OUT as soon as possible (related health issues), however I don't want it out until I've had children. I never thought I'd ever want children, but I very much do. I am also very firm in my identity today in a way I didn't use to be, even just a year ago. I have life goals now, where I used to not have any. I think you should wait for a bit, don't jump into it until you're sure and until you have an idea of what you want your future to be like. So much can change so quickly, I think you should wait as long as you can if you're not feeling sure.

Transitioning can be good for some people, but be very cautious with it. If you don't need to transition to be able to go on with your life, do not do it. If you think that transitioning is the best thing for you, take it as slow as possible. Testosterone is not as reversible as they claim, and you can't put back what was removed surgically.

It's good that you reached out to people who have opinions that diverge from that of most people, just keep in mind that you're not transitioning for anyone but yourself. Ultimately, no one's opinion weighs as much as yours, but do make sure that you ask yourself the right questions and aren't doing anything that you're unsure about

Reddit user Yraeve (desisted female) commends a user for deciding to wait on medical transition and advises against peer pressure.
10 pointsAug 3, 2023
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It makes me really happy to see that you intend on waiting for a medical transition. Don't let friends pressure you into getting medical attention that isn't needed for your health and that you think you shouldn't be getting quite yet. I'm actually really proud of you for wanting to wait rather than jump straight into it.

Reddit user Yraeve (desisted female) explains how to curate a positive fandom experience by creating new accounts, using AO3 filters to avoid trans-related content, and finding balanced communities.
10 pointsOct 12, 2023
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there's nothing stopping you from making another (or possibly more than one if needed) account and start fresh.

Tbh for fanfics I just filter out certain key words where I can, and you can just avoid the hyper pro trans people. There's people who are balanced in there, they're just a bit harder to find because they tend to just hang out quietly. I don't know what you use for fanfictions, but AO3 allows you to filter out tags so that way you can avoid certain subjects and then starting from that pinpoint writers that have Discords and the such that at least aren't blatantly trans-ing out everyone left and right without stop and getting pissed that more people aren't doing it

Reddit user Yraeve (desisted female) suggests a Viking undercut hairstyle as a versatile, gender-neutral solution for alternating between masculine and feminine looks.
9 pointsAug 29, 2023
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Have you tried like a Viking haircut if you have fairly thick hair? Long hair with undercut, on days you want a more masc look you braid up the upper section of hair and the undercut shows more, the rest of the time you either have only one side showing or your hair covering both if you have enough density for it. You can put it up and have it look very feminine and it'd be an in-between. When I went through a phase of trying to look gender neutral, I did that and it worked out pretty well tbh, except for the fact that my undercut was a bit too high and didn't leave me with enough hair to properly cover said undercut

Reddit user Yraeve (desisted female) explains why seeing pronouns on a resume can create a negative bias, based on their experience as a hiring manager.
9 pointsJul 22, 2023
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I used to be a manager and would be in charge of interviews. While seeing pronouns on a resume would not have stopped me from interviewing the person, I would already expect an age range (it is not common or recommended to put age in resumes where I live), political affiliation (usually communist leaning in ways that made them be awful employees) and one of a couple personality types, none of which were conductive to having neutral feelings about someone. My experience with the local 'pronouns-in-bio' people have always been quite negative. I believed (and still believe) in the exception but not all people do. If I had had a resume from a person and, upon meeting them, I would notice they were trans, it wouldn't have changed much for me at all. 'Pronouns-in-bio' people, trans or not, different story.

Reddit user Yraeve (desisted female) explains how witnessing a trans woman who identified as non-human get bottom surgery broke her cognitive dissonance, moving her politically from far-left to centrist.
9 pointsJan 28, 2024
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I definitely snaped out of my cognitive dissonance about myself and my gender identity when this trans woman I knew who saw herself as a succubus and some other sort of non-human got bottom surgery. I knew it was so damn wrong even with everything I believed in and advocated for. That shit made me go from far-left to moderate left to now making me pretty much a centrist on most issues. So yes, it did make me more conservative in the sense that I'm not at a leftist extreme anymore.